Analyze Your Teaching

In this section, you will analyze your own teaching practices and share your knowledge with teachers of other grade levels.

Review what you have learned about emergent literacy, phonics, and fluency in Dr. Paratore's lecture and in your readings. Spend five to ten minutes writing about a word study lesson you have taught. Consider these questions as you analyze this lesson:

What skill or strategy was the focus of the lesson?

What texts/materials were used?

How did you develop oral language and print knowledge in the lesson?

How did you address individual student needs? How did students practice the skill following the lesson?

How did instruction reflect the research principles presented in the lecture?

Share your analysis with teachers of other grade levels. This will allow you to examine the developmental nature and logical continuum of word study instruction in grades K-2. Then consider these questions:

How did the lessons advance students' learning of letters, sounds, and words?

How were the lessons appropriate to the age/grade level of the students?

How did the lessons differ based on the age/grade level of the students?

What skills or knowledge did students need before engaging in this lesson?